Recomendations for a 308

Leedesert-
Wondered if you had picked up your scope and if so, which kind did you get? Steve Smith had some pretty good points on rangefinding reticule vs a duplex, and although some of us may be "ignorant" it is possible and fairly easy to learn how to use your reticle as a rangefinder. I'm just a poor boy so I didn't have the scratch for one of those $500 scopes. When I bought my Simmons 6.5-20, I went to the Simmons website and requested info on what the narrow part of the crosshairs would be in minutes of angle. Keep in mind that 1 minute of angle is about 1 inch at 100 yards. What they told me is my scope at low power, 6.5, the thin part of the crosshair covers 11.79 MOA, and at 20 power, covers 3.83 MOA. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep all this in my head initially, so what I did was write it on a small piece of paper and taped it to my stock. Its come in really handy when looking at game to decide their size. For most of the time, I look at the low power, 6.5 as 12 inches at 100 yards, or 2 feet at 200, etc., and the high power as 4 inches at 100-you get the picture. One of these days, I would like to invest in a scope called a Sheppard scope. The reticule is totally different than anything I've owned, with graduated circles used for different ranges. A friend of mine bought one and has said a lot of good about it.
 
if you buy the savage you will later wish you had bought the Remington. most, if not all sniper/tactical rifles are built on the Rem 700 action. IMHO, get the LTR and save up for a Leupold 3.5 x 10. put a Harris bi-pod and a good sling on it, purchase some federal 168gn boat tail, and you will have the best "out of box" sniper weapon system you can buy without custom barrels, bedding, stock, hand loads, etc...

if your a recreational shooter, the rifle will out shoot you for years to come.
 
What David said is true, but....

There's a problem. Most scopes don't change the size of the reticle when the zoom goes out, so the scale is not the same at 3x as it is at 9x. The reticle stays the same size and the view gets smaller. IOW, the small part of the reticle does not stay a certain MOA when the zoom is used. This causes serious problems when trying to "rangefind" using a non-rangefinding scope with variable power. It could be done with a fixed power much easier, which is EXACTLY what the old time (and still many recent time) snipers did. They all used fixed power scopes, or rangefind on only one power. That means that if you take the time to find out the rangefinding equivs at 9x at all ranges, then you always use 9x for the important shots. Good luck in your search, and take a look at the Tasco Super Sniper 10x42 at the SWFA website.
 
I vote for the Remington 700PSS, 700VS or 700LTR.

I agree with Joe543. But, enough said on the rifle as the Savage/Remington partisan debate will easily outlast the recent election brouhaha. ;)

Scopes. You get what you pay for. Exception is the Tasco SS10X42 Mil-dot Tactical. You get way more. I have one again (sold the first to get an M3 Leupold) and it is a hell of a bargain. I am NOT a Tasco fan. This is the only Tasco I would own and it is great.

Otherwise my first choice is Leupold. My PSS has the Vari-X III 3.5-10X40LR M3. Is it 250% better than the Tasco SS? Maybe not, but it is better and I wanted the cam feature and the Leupold no-haggle warranty.

I personally do not like 50mm or larger objectives. I had a Leupold 3-9X50 Vari-X II and found it too heavy and cumbersome, and that is not a large 50mm scope. 50mm is not really necessary except in dim light or if the scope is of lesser quality and poorer lense coatings. Look through a 40mm Zeiss with T* coatings (too rich for me! :)) and you will see the difference in a quality coating. Most professional military and police tactical applications use in the 40mm range as a good compromise of light gathering and utility.
 
The Tasco Super Sniper has me very interested but I have another question..:)

I didn't realize that the zoom feature would interfere with range finding.
Considering that I may use this rifle more for it's hunting purposes than it's tactical purposes, will a fixed magnification work. The practical side of me says get zoom (3x-10X) but the tactical says fixed.

I have no experience with rifles or scopes so this is my learning thread.

If the fixed Tasco Sniper will work for hunting then I'll get it. Dollar for Dollar this seems to be the best value.
 
TIKKA!

Get yourself a Tikka!

If you get the Whitetail Synthetic, you will have an all-black (yet very handsome) rifle that is perfect out of the box. Top that with a nice, powerful 'scope and I would hate to be the deer or paper target in front of you.

I am getting myself a Whitetail Hunter in 6.5x55, and I can hardly wait until the time I take it to the range.
Check out their website at http://www.sako.fi!!!!
 
I'm surprised that the scope suggestions are running towards the higher powers (10X and up). For a hunting rifle, wouldn't something like a 3-9X variable or a 6X fixed be more practical? (I'm assuming that we're talking about hunting deer-sized game at 250 yards, not groundhogs at 500 yards).

Also, why aren't there any votes for the Winchester M70, the Browning A-Bolt or the Ruger M77?
 
recommendations for a 308

hi:
i just purchased the savage 12bvss in .308, it is fluted, floated stainless bull, and has a competition laminated wooden stock. It is very well balanced. I topped it with a Tasco Target 10-40x50 with a 1 piece leupold base and rings.
I like the target scope because it has external windage and elevation ajustments which allows for quick drop compensation. I tacked on a Harris bipod. One problem is decked out like i have it, it weighes close to 13 pounds. My first experience was with PMC 150g Soft Points. This was more than discouraging. I then turned to Federal Gold Medal Match Grade 168gr. Hollow Points.... aah! much better... i have only had this rifle complete for a week so i havent had too many experiences with it yet, but i am touching holes at 200 yards. havent shot any further than that yet. The trigger pull out of the box is less than desirable at close to 5lbs. but I hear the stock trigger is ajustable to 3lbs. so next time i see a gunsmith i will have that done. Have fun!!! Good Luck!!
 
Matt:

Since the thread was towards tactical rifles, I recommended the SS10X42 Tasco. For deer hunting, I too would use a 2-7, 3-9 or 4-12. For small game, I prefer a 4-12 and 6-18. I find in big game I keep a scope set on 3-4 power, but in small game I keep a variable set on 6 or 10 power.

For groundhogs, 10X can be too little, but higher tends to give mirage, especially on a warm day or if the barrel is hot. With my PSS, after 20 rounds, in the summer, mirage can be a problem at even 10X.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top